An update on my Ethanol experiment

[ARB1977]

Originally Posted By: boraticus
The operative word in the OP's message is "seems" to run better.

Do A-B experiments and some meaningful measurements such as exact amount of fuel used and length of time the engines runs to cut the same area of same length grass. Take temperature readings of the engine while under load. Repeat experiment ten times using ethanol and non-ethanol fuels then give us the results.

Not perfectly scientific however, considerably more accurate than "seems" to.

It's amazing how many people think they see/hear an immediate mechanical improvement just by throwing an expensive additive in with their fuel. The vast preponderance of the time it's nothing more than the placebo effect as I suspect this example likely is.


The one thing I did notice was the spuddering is pretty much gone.

 

[ARB1977]

Originally Posted By: jeepman3071
I'll be honest I think you are doing a lot of work for not much return. I understand your reasoning, being a small engine mechanic on the side, but here is my take...

I live in a state that has ethanol in all of the grades of fuel, so E0 is not an option. I have been running a double dose of Marine Stabil in all of my gas cans, some of which sit the entire winter if we don't have much snow. I have not had any carb problems with my equipment. I have told all of my customers to do the same, and those that do it have also had no problems. The ones that don't chose to drain the fuel out of their equipment during storage, which also works very well.

While removing the ethanol helps, it will not completely prevent fuel from going bad.

I don’t keep fuel longer than mowing season. 2 cycle I keep for 1.5 years. Any left over gas get added to my truck.

 

[Olas]

Originally Posted By: ARB1977
Originally Posted By: skyactiv
Please tell me you bought premium gas to do this? Removing the ethanol reduces the octane a few points. 93 becomes 90 or 91 I think .

You are correct. 93 octane was bought. Roughly 90 octane was made. Octane booster brought it back to roughly 93.


By removing the ethanol you increased the energy content of each gallon so making the afr richer. This is likely what helped the spuddering. Not sure about your laws but when I need more octane than I can buy at the pump I go to my eBay purchased toluene. Not cheap but undeniably effective and significantly higher than 93.
How many degrees BTDC is your spark? Static CR? Valve duration? You can work through to find the theoretically required octane then find the appropriate ratio of fuel to additive

 

[OilFilters]

You really shouldn't need more than 87 octane in any small engine...even that is overkill. I don't see the need for the octane booster.

 

[ARB1977]

Originally Posted By: OilFilters
You really shouldn't need more than 87 octane in any small engine...even that is overkill. I don't see the need for the octane booster.

The octane booster was only added since removing the ethanol.

 

[OilFilters]

Originally Posted By: ARB1977
Originally Posted By: OilFilters
You really shouldn't need more than 87 octane in any small engine...even that is overkill. I don't see the need for the octane booster.

The octane booster was only added since removing the ethanol.


Even then you should still be over 87 if you started with premium.

 

[Olas]

Originally Posted By: OilFilters
You really shouldn't need more than 87 octane in any small engine...even that is overkill. I don't see the need for the octane booster.


Engine size has nothing to do with it, CR and temperature are the significant factors here.

 

[ridgerunner]

Originally Posted By: OilFilters
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
I wish the oil companies would just eat the corn and leave it out of my gasoline.


An additive that gives them an excuse to charge you more, for gas with less energy so you need more...AND makes the ignorant tree huggers happy? It's like they found a miracle!


Ethanol is only good fer sippin’!

 

[OilFilters]

Originally Posted By: Olas
Originally Posted By: OilFilters
You really shouldn't need more than 87 octane in any small engine...even that is overkill. I don't see the need for the octane booster.


Engine size has nothing to do with it, CR and temperature are the significant factors here.


All small engines are sold with compression ratios compatible with 87 octane. Temperature has little to do with it. Any small engine from a name brand manufacturer will tell you to use 87 octane minimum in the manual.

There is no such thing as a "high performance" small engine with a high compression ratio, except the aftermarket stuff made by go kart guys. Higher compression ratio leads to shorter life in such simple engines.

 

[Kamele0N]

...2stroke high revving profesional chainsaws comes in mind....those will all benifit with higher octane fuel....

 

[OilFilters]

Originally Posted By: Kamele0N
...2stroke high revving profesional chainsaws comes in mind....those will all benifit with higher octane fuel....

We're not talking about 2 strokes. And I'm not going to bother nit picking.

In general, all small engines run just fine on, and call for 87 octane.

 

[turtlevette]

Originally Posted By: ARB1977
Originally Posted By: Warstud
Home Depot and Walmart sell it.

The cans are expensive. I’d go through four gallons just in my mower. I’m not paying 100.00 for my mower.


I just saw that the other day at lowes. 20 bucks a gallon. Unbelievable. People are so scared of something, they get irrational.

Yea, let's spend $500 bucks on special fuel to save a $60 weed eater.

When there's no issue to begin with.

 

[boraticus]

Originally Posted By: turtlevette
Originally Posted By: ARB1977
Originally Posted By: Warstud
Home Depot and Walmart sell it.

The cans are expensive. I’d go through four gallons just in my mower. I’m not paying 100.00 for my mower.


I just saw that the other day at lowes. 20 bucks a gallon. Unbelievable. People are so scared of something, they get irrational.

Yea, let's spend $500 bucks on special fuel to save a $60 weed eater.

When there's no issue to begin with.


Exactly!!!

You see lots of unnecessary, expensive overkill here at BITOG. Seems that advertising, marketing and overzealous, under-experienced "experts" need to find dragons to slay.

My method is to be most effective for least cost for the application at hand. Here you often see the opposite - most expensive for least benefit to save a ten dollar machine.

I never buy synthetic oils unless they're priced the same as a good conventional, which is very, very seldom. I don't buy nor believe in snake oil elixirs and I don't change oil filters on small sump engines until I think it's appropriate to do so.

I run E10 pump gas and do oil changes at manufacturers specification. I have owned and operated as many as 30+ engines at one time of various types of machines from high performance motorcycles, snowmobiles, ATVs, outboards to all types of mundane OPE, two cycle engines, four cycle and diesel engines. Never had an oil related engine failure in over 5 decades of active multi-engine ownership.

I'm certain that not having OCD has saved me a great deal of money over the years.

 

[smithph]

Stihl recommends 89 octane minimum in its 2 and 4 cycle OPE engines, But their OPE engines are much smaller than those found on mowers & blowers.

https://m.stihlusa.com/WebContent/CMSFileLibrary/Gasoline_Guidelines-1.pdf

PS: the Stihl premixed 'Motomix' fuel is E0 & 92 octane.